


The Christmas Carols

by Shiredancer (SallyJ)



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Challenge Response, Gen, TS Concrit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 17:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21285344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SallyJ/pseuds/Shiredancer
Summary: In which it is revealed that Blair Sandburg has a particular Christmas-time obsession.  (Written for the Chatzy Concrit #11 prompt “Holidays”.)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10
Collections: TSCC 11: Holidays





	The Christmas Carols

Jim opened the – unlocked -- door to the loft and entered his domain. He knew Blair was here; he’d registered his presence on all his senses. He took in other scents as well: pine – that would be the Christmas tree over in the corner; spiced apple– yep, cider was simmering on the stove; styrofoam, cardboard, tape – hmmm, UPS had made a delivery.

“Sandburg?”

“Yeah, hey, Jim.” The muffled voice came from the floor on the other side of the couch.

“Dammit, Blair, the front door was unlocked… again! How many times do we have to go over the house rules for securing the premises?”

“Sorry, sorry, got distracted when my package arrived. Jim, this is wonderful, wait’ll you see! Come take a look.”

Curiosity overcame irritation, which was pointless anyway, given Blair’s blithe dismissal. With a sigh, Jim tossed his keys into the basket and made his way to the living room, picking up stray packing peanuts as he went.

“Okay, but remember to lock up next time, Chief. Whatcha got?”

“Just the best package ever! We are going to be set for the rest of the holiday season. Oh, wow, I can’t wait – something to look forward to every night until the new year!” Eyes shining, Blair looked up from his box and grinned at his roommate. “Hey, grab some hot cider, and could you bring me some? This might take a while. Did you know there are at least 49 filmed versions of Charles Dickens’ _A Christmas Carol_?”

Jim had obligingly started toward the kitchen, but this non sequitur had him turning back and gaping at Blair, who was hauling VHS tapes out of the box and stacking them on the floor.

“And we didn’t have **any**! Well, I considered that a serious oversight, and ordered… a few… online, and here they are! Oh my god, here’s Reginald Owen, that’s one of the earliest, it dates back to 1938. A classic, Jim! And let’s see, we’ve got _Scrooge_ here, that’s the Albert Finney musical version – and here’s Patrick Stewart’s version, that’s SUCH a good one, and… whoa, Jim, this is the best one ever, the Alastair Sim version from 1951. Oh, wowwwww…” Blair closed his eyes with a look of pure bliss on his face.

Who knew a bunch of Christmas specials was going to affect the kid like that? Jim scratched his head. “Okayyyyy, Chief, so this is, what, your personal idea of nirvana? _A Christmas Carol_? Really??”

“Hey, how can anybody not love it? Scrooge, Marley, Tiny Tim, ‘dead as a doornail’ and all that fantastically atmospheric prose? Admit it, you like it too. Ooooh, here’s George C. Scott! Fredric March, Colin Baker…”

Turning back to the stove and the spiced cider, Jim shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat, Chief. Y’know, some prefer _It’s A Wonderful Life_ or _Miracle on 34th Street_. Who’da thunk you’d be into the whole ‘God bless us, every one’ bit?”

He smiled to himself; he didn’t even have to turn around to know that Blair was sticking his tongue out at him. Oh well, Christmas comes but once a year and all that; might as well let Sandburg have his fun. He carried two steaming mugs over to the couch to watch the rest of the unpacking. But he got to thinking…

**********

“Hey, Chief, head’s up, got something for you.”

Blair looked up from his comfortable spot on the couch as Jim dropped a box next to him. Excited, he tore it open. “Jim! Oh, WOW! These are the **absolute** best!” Laughing, he pulled out _Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol_ and _The Muppet Christmas Carol_. “I’d forgotten these two!”

“There’s more – keep looking.”

Sure enough, more videos lined the bottom of the box. Blair lovingly held the animated _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_, the claymation _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_, _A Charlie Brown Christmas_, and _The Christmas Toy_ by Jim Henson. Smirking, Jim said “I figured you needed a little more variety in your holiday viewing, Chief. And these? Kid, these are the **real** classics.”

Suddenly he had an armful of laughing, hugging Blair. “Thanks, Jim -- these are SO you! What should we watch first?”

**Author's Note:**

> So, what are _your_ favorites?? And please excuse any anachronistic references -- I tried to keep everything within the canon time frame, but... okay, Patrick Stewart's version of _A Christmas Carol_ didn't come out until 1999, but close enough. And yes, I actually own all of the mentioned titles (on DVD, not VHS!). If not for the word limit, I could have had Blair expound on the many different printed and illustrated versions of _A Christmas Carol_ too.


End file.
